Even with rave reviews, historical drama “The Last Duel” failed to achieve the financial success it promised, grossing just $ 28.1 million at the global box office against a massive budget. of $ 100 million.
During a recent appearance on the WTF podcast, director Ridley Scott commented on the commercial failure of production and attributed it to a very specific factor: Gen Z.
In the interview, Scott commented that the feature film’s release went as planned and that in fact the current generation are contributing to the meager income.
“What we see today is an audience that grew up with those damn cell phones. Millennials, who never want to learn anything unless you say it on your cell phone, ”he said. “I think we’re dealing with this right now with Facebook. It’s a bad direction that happened when we gave this generation the wrong kind of trust. “
Remember that the film is still screened in national cinemas.
Based on the eponymous novel published by Eric Jager in 2004, the screenplay was written by Nicole Holofcener, alongside Ben Affleck and Damon, who had already received the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay in 1998 for “Indomitable Genius”.
Directed by Ridley Scott, the film is set in 14th-century France and will tell the real-life story of knights Jean de Carrouges (Damon) and Jacques Le Gris (Driver), who took part in the last duel to the death, officially sanctioned after Carrouges accused Le Gris of having raped his wife, played by Jodie Comer.